Crushes, Kits and Queens
by Broken Gold
Summary: A series of 20 one-shots for the challenge on The Domain.
1. Mud

Based on a series of 20 prompts for the challenge in Tainted's Domain.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors

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Hollypaw lay curled up in the apprentice den listening to the raindrops pounding on the roof and the sound of Honeypaw's constant chatter beside her.

"Berrynose is so great!" The little tabby purred. "He's a fabulous hunter and-"

Hollypaw flicked her tail indignantly and blocked out the voice of her best (though admittedly rather mousebrained) friend. She focused instead on the sound of each individual drop cascading down from the sky and onto the bramble ceiling.

_Drip._

She rolled over and watched Honeypaw as she talked. Her whiskers quivered cheerily and her eyes gleamed.

_Drip._

Honeypaw's tail swept across the ground scattering the moss.

_Drip._

"Done yet?" Asked Hollypaw.

"Almost!"

_Drip._

"His fur is so shiny and glossy and his eyes are like... like... like mud!"

Hollypaw raised her head in disbelief, "Come again?"

"His eyes are just like mud." Honeypaw seemed rather pleased with herself.

_Drip._

Hollypaw stared at her blankly. "But they're amber..."

"Yeah, but you get sucked into them just like the way your paws get sucked into mud during the rain!"

She blinked, "Right..."

_Drip._

Cinderpaw and Lionpaw slipped into the den shaking water from their pelts and clearly tired from hunting with Ashfur and Cloudtail.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Cinderpaw, curling herself into a tight ball

"Mud," said Hollypaw flatly.

_Drip._


	2. Hope

"What do you want to happen when you grow up?" asked Lionpaw, stretching his claws out and rolling over in the grass.

He and his siblings lay in the sunny training hollow where they were taking a rest from their constant training in Newleaf.

"I hope I'm the best fighter ever," he turned on his side. "Hollypaw?"

His sister looked at the ground and mumbled something.

"What?"

"I hope I become leader." Lionpaw blinked, shocked. His sister seemed almost ashamed.

"Well _I_ hope you both shut up and let me rest," snapped Jaypaw flexing his claws.

"You're such a ray of sunshine," droned Lionpaw.

Hollypaw snorted. "Yes, we honor your wonderous cheer, oh, great Medicine Cat apprentice!"

"Shut up!" he growled, but they could see a rare laugh dancing in his blind eyes.

"But what _DO_ you hope for?" prompted Lionpaw.

"What do I hope?" asked Jaypaw, "I hope we achieve the destiny StarClan has laid out for us."

There was silence and then, "Oooh, Mr.Mysterious gives us a hint."

Hollypaw and Lionpaw snickered and Jaypaw raised his smoky gray head indignantly.

"Laugh all you want," he mewed. "One day your hopes could be _real_."

This shut them up and they gave him confused looks as he stood and stalked of.

"Where are you going?" called Hollypaw.

Jaypaw turned his head and blinked. "The lake."

Lionpaw stared at him blankly. "Why?"

"Because I'm meeting Leafpool." He took two steps before turning back and adding, "She's actually got a brain."


	3. Hiss

Ferncloud and Daisy lay in the nursery gossiping as Icekit and Foxkit rolled around playing _I hate you Tigerstar_.

Icekit let out a little hiss. "I WILL DESTROY YOU FOXKIT!"

"Fireheart!" corrected Foxkit, "I'm being Fireheart."

Ferncloud gazed fondly as her kits began tumbling around again. "Oh they are getting big now, aren't they?"

Icekit sent Foxkit flying off of her and the little tom smacked right into Daisy's nose. She flicked her whiskers in amusement, "A bit _too_ big if you ask me."

"I know," nodded Ferncloud as her kits continued to squeal and hiss excitedly. "In another few moons they'll be apprentices."

The wrestling balls of fur froze and looked up. "Really?"

The sight was rather comical. Icekit had her brother pinned down on his back with one paw and the little tom was tilting his head back and staring at his mother with wide eyes.

"Really," nodded Ferncloud.

The kits let out excited mews and began chattering at a speed that would have made Honeypaw proud.

"What do you think we're going to do first?"

"I bet we patrol the border!"

"And then go hunting-"

"And practice fighting-"

"And bring food to the queens and elders!" called Dustpelt, pushing through the barrier and into the den. "But you could be a bit quieter about it."

"Dustpelt!" cried the kits, rushing forwards and rubbing against their father.

"What do you think our warriors names will be?" asked Icekit excitedly.

"I hope it's not something stupid like Foxdung and Icicle," meowed Foxkit worriedly.

"Fireheart would never give you a name as ridiculous as Foxdung," reasoned Dustpelt. Though in the back of his mind he thought about the idiotic names Spiderleg and Squirrelflight now bore. "And who ever heard of a warrior name that ended in 'ickle'."

"Pickle," called Daisy.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

"It's a Twoleg thing," she explained, and Icekit and Foxkit went back to their hissing and tackling.


	4. Artwork

Disclaimer: I **STILL** do not own Warriors

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A short girl with curly, red hair that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes sat on a bucket in her Uncle's barn sketching. So far she had drawn nothing but horses -there wasn't much else _to_ draw at Hare Hill Riding Stables- and she was getting rather bored with them. Don't get me wrong, she thought they were majestic and beautiful creatures but still. Nine days of drawing horses? It's enough to make any city girl mad (especially one who couldn't ride to save her life).

"This is so boring!" she cried out in frustration, throwing her hands up into the air and sending her pencil flying and smacking against the old wooden walls of the barn. She cringed when she realized that the tip had lodged into a crack in the walls. The loud noises frightened the smoky grey tom-cat who had been sitting on a haystack. He shot across to the other side of the barn.

"So much for sketching," growled under her breath.

"Everything going alright, Marlene?" She snapped her head up to see her Uncle Morris standing in the doorway the barn with light streaming in behind him. His rusty red curls (a family curse) were flattened against his head with sweat and his almond-shaped, blue eyes twinkled warmly. "I think the whole forest heard you yelling."

"Except there's nobody in it."

"No _humans_ in it, yes," her Uncle reasoned, nodding thoughtfully. "Doesn't mean the creatures didn't."

Marlene blinked at him curiously. "Do you mean things like bears or badgers?"

Morris nodded. "Bears, badgers, cats..."

"In the forest?"

"Oh yes, a ton of them. I see them coming along near the edge of the farm a far bit. Looking for a mouse, I reckon."

Marlene wrinkled her nose as she thought of eating those poor creatures. She imagined it would be disgusting and she was proved right just seconds later when the large, tom she had frightened earlier appeared from behind a pile of hay where he had obviously taken refuge. In his jaws was a plump, brown, barn mouse. "Ah, there's Smudge."

"Ew!" she cried falling backwards off of the bucket and into the haystack where something pointy jab into her back. "Ow."

It was her pencil, which had clearly not been contented with the lable of 'given up for lost'. As she lifted it out Marlene groaned and rolled over in the hay, which she immediately regretted when she ended up with a mouthful of hay.

Sitting up and spitting she glared at her laughing uncle and then at the purring Smudge who was crunching on a mouse tail. Smudge stretched and then trotted over to her sketchbook and lay down on it curling up into a ball.

Marlene sighed, "I hate cats."


End file.
